6,000 stateless residents to get UAE citizenship

About 6,000 stateless residents will be given the UAE citizenship, as per the directives of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. Over 2,000 similar cases are under study and will be cleared before the holy month of Ramadan, he said. Dr Sheikh Sultan made these announcements during a live radio programme as he replied to the concerns of a stateless woman who called in. The announcements were slated to be made during Ramadan. "But I could not wait that long because of the complainant's tears," said the Sharjah Ruler. "These people have no nationality ... nothing at all ... and cannot live this." Addressing the people of Sharjah, Dr Sheikh Sultan said: "If they (stateless people) are left unattended, they will go astray. The children of such families would be forced to push their children to work at an early age to meet their needs. Those kids will start working possibly by the age of 14, or else be misled by extremist ideologies. "Turning them into citizens is an efficient solution to this basic segment of society. If possible, I would have given them more." He said cases from this vulnerable group need to have a proper solution. "These cases ... need some time to be processed because it's not possible to find a way out for one and ignore the others." Comforting the caller and other stateless people, Dr Sheikh Sultan said: "Don't worry, we won't ever ignore you." Source: Khaleej Times